Always Been There
by Emerald Tiara
Summary: Shikamaru's always been there for his friends, even if they don't realize it. Oneshot drabble.


He was five. He did not want to play with the other kids at being ninja, and they didn't want to play with him. Shikamaru always preferred looking at the clouds instead. But one day, he came to his favorite spot and found another boy there, with his father. The boy wanted to play with the other kids, but they didn't want to play with him. Shikamaru had always just wanted to be left alone from the troublesome world, and while he knew this other boy wanted exactly the opposite, he felt that they were alike in being rejected by the others. That was the day he befriended Akimichi Choji.

He was six. His father had dragged him to go visit some family friends. He didn't want to go; they had a daughter, and girls were always so annoying. Sitting there, bored out of his mind, too comfortable in his current position to go get some food, the girl suddenly sat next to Shikamaru. She didn't even look at him, just pouted and crossed her arms. He looked at her and asked her what she was doing, and she said her dad had told her to go make friends with him. She was kind of pretty, but not really Shikamaru's type. Anyway, she already liked that other guy, the cold silent one. After a while sitting there, the two children began to talk and slowly formed what Shikamaru didn't want to call a friendship, more of an acquaintanceship. She was funny, and charming, and sure of herself, but not in an in-your-face way. That was the day he met Yamanaka Ino.

He was nine. He sat in the Konoha Ninja Academy, wondering why his father had forced him to go. It all just seemed so troublesome. Shikamaru would rather have a more peaceful life. It was especially annoying that he knew the answers to all the questions. He sat next to an incredibly obnoxious boy, who had no friends whatsoever. The boy wanted to be the best of the best, but even Shikamaru could tell that he didn't really have what it took. The annoying boy kept preaching to the class about how he would be Hokage one day, but the rest of the class laughed and jeered. Shikamaru did neither, but laid his head on the desk and slept. He didn't want to laugh at the boy. The boy seemed like he had guts. Shikamaru liked that, even if he himself lacked the necessary quality. That was the day he first encountered Uzumaki Naruto.

He was twelve. He had just graduated, and been assigned to a team with both his friends. He didn't show it, but Shikamaru was glad. Their sensei was a large man who was the son of the Hokage, and always smoked. Shikamaru and his teammates coughed and cried at the smoke, and yelled at their sensei for it, but Shikamaru knew that underneath the easygoing facade, this man was a well-oiled killing machine. He knew that they would be led well under him. Shikamaru recognized the qualities of a powerful shinobi, and respected him for it. That was the day he was first taught by Sarutobi Asuma.

He was thirteen. He was competing in the Chuunin Exams that year, for reasons unknown to humankind. It was the third part of the tests, one that he'd really hoped not to move on to. Now he was fighting a girl from Suna. She was as smart as him, and so this battle was taking longer and much more effort than it should have. Although, it was nice to finally have someone as smart as him, even if he could see several ways to beat her. She seemed like a nice girl, if not for being so overbearing. It was, in truth, both annoying and slightly funny. He forfeited the match because, besides his chakra being low, he didn't want her to feel rage at having lost to him. That was the day he fought the girl named Temari.

He was thirteen. Shikamaru had just returned from a deadly mission that took him far from the usual expectations of a mission. His best friend had been seriously injured. His teammates had been ruthlessly defeated. The only one who got all the way to the target fought until he was at death's door. And Shikamaru had broken a finger. It didn't seem fair, that all his friends had been horribly hurt but he, the mission leader, had gotten away with a broken finger and some scratches. And a _girl_ had to come save him. It wasn't right.

So he sat outside his friend's room, and visited the one who went all the way, to try and in some way make up for his deficiency in injuries. They talked for a while, the blonde one. Then the blond one's teammate, the pink-haired girl, entered. She pretended not to care about the blond one's failed promise, but Shikamaru was in shock. This guy had just had every inch of his body hurt, and all he could think about was a promise to a friend? Underneath the shock, waiting in the wings, was respect. The one who went all the way didn't care for himself, only his friends. And somewhere deep down, Shikamaru knew he had to try harder, for Choji, Ino and Asuma-sensei.

He was fifteen. Over the past two years he had trained with all his might, and was now a strong shinobi. Now he was with his dying teacher, his teammates with him. Shikamaru knew he had done well, and that the teacher was dying a death fitting for a worthy shinobi. That didn't ease the pain, though. The teacher had been there for him, and although three years doesn't seem like a lot of time to know a person, Shikamaru knew that he'd bonded with his sensei to a degree of friendship, love and respect that he only reserved for a few people. As he sat there, crying, Shikamaru wondered what would happen next. Their team had always been them four. Now it was being cut down to the three of them, the original set of friends. It wasn't fair! This man had taught them, fought alongside them, bled with them, played games with them, and the universe saw fit to take him _away?_ Why? And so Shikamaru cried a little harder than he would have. That was the day Sarutobi Asuma-sensei died.

Through the years, he had always been there.

He was there for Choji, when the other kids bullied him for being fat.

He was there for Ino, when the cold one rejected her and she fought with the pink-haired one.

He was there for Naruto, when the cold one left Konoha and threw Team 7 into shambles.

He was there for Temari, when her brother had been kidnapped and killed by the ones with the red clouds.

He was there for Asuma-sensei, to console him when he lost at Shogi and when he died.

And he was always there for Konoha, to defend and protect it when trouble came.

No matter in what form, Nara Shikamaru was always there, trying to be the best that he could for his friends and his village. Let them laugh at him and call him a lazy good-for-nothing. He knows they'll realize it in the end.

**Just a short drabble on Shikamaru, and how he's always there and nobody realizes it. I would have written his wedding, but I support both ShikaTem AND ShikaIno, and I couldn't choose which one.**


End file.
